Current Events in Brief

In a ruling this summer, a federal district judge found that the
Georgia law allowing schools to start each day with a moment of silence
does not violate the U.S. Constitution's ban on government
establishment of religion. Gwinnett County social studies teacher Brian
Bown had challenged the law after he was fired for refusing to observe
his school's moment-of-silence policy. [See "Current Events,'' October
1994.] Lawyers for the teacher say they plan to appeal the
decision.

A Taxing Matter

In 1906, Congress granted a federal charter to the National
Education Association that exempted the group from property taxes on
its national headquarters in Washington, D.C. Now, U.S. Rep. Robert
Dornan, R-Calif., is leading an effort to repeal the exemption,
claiming the organization doesn't deserve it. The move, Dornan says,
would add $1.6 million to the financially strapped District of
Columbia's property-tax base. "The charter was granted back when the
NEA was actually a useful teachers' association dedicated to the
promotion of general education,'' Dornan says in a prepared statement.
"Of course, now they are nothing more than a radicalized, left-wing
labor union promoting everything from socialized education to
homosexuality to gun control.'' Charles Erickson, a spokesman for the
NEA, says the union would "abide by whatever decision is reached.''

HIV Testing Halted

The first school district in the country to offer students free
testing for the virus that causes AIDS has reversed its three-year-old
policy because of opposition from parents. The 50,000-student Lee
County district in Fort Myers, Fla., began the program to fight the
spread of AIDS. County health officials had noted an unusually high
incidence of HIV, the AIDS virus, in residents under 30.

Call In The Experts

When the Kansas City school system tried to upgrade the cables in
its four computer magnet schools this past summer, it hit a snag. The
district had $100,000 to complete the proj-ect, but that wasn't nearly
enough to pay professionals, who wanted $62,000 to do the job in just
one of the buildings. Then someone thought: Why not hire students at
one of the magnet schools and pay them, say, $6.50 an hour? In the end,
the district hired 23 students, procured them two weeks of free
training in cable installation, and put them to work running more than
70 miles of cables through the schools. With the help of 25 teachers,
they finished the job by summer's end and well within the district's
budget.

Recruiters Banned

The Portland, Ore., school board has barred military recruiters from
district campuses because of what it calls discriminatory policies
against homosexuals in the U.S. armed services. In August, board
members approved a resolution barring any employer that discriminates
on the basis of sexual orientation, race, religion, or gender. In a
second resolution, the board defined the U.S. military as an
institution with discriminatory employment practices. Current U.S.
policy allows dismissal of openly gay members from the military but
prohibits officials from asking about sexual orientation. "It is our
obligation as a school district to demand equality of access for all of
our students,'' says board member Marc Abrams, "and that means gay and
lesbian students, as well.''

Financial Aid

A Rochester, N.Y., couple has given $25 million to help local
children afford an education at one of six Roman Catholic elementary
schools. The donation by Robert and Peggy Wegman of Wegmans Food
Markets Inc. is one of the largest ever to Catholic elementary
education in this country. "For decades, Catholic schools have provided
Rochester's children with a sound, values-centered education,'' Robert
Wegman said. "But we must act now to keep them open so that families
continue to have a choice.'' The Diocese of Rochester will use the bulk
of the money to provide financial-aid vouchers to inner-city families.
But part of it will also go to help graduates of the six schools
continue their educations at Catholic junior high schools, to upgrade
buildings, and to expand special programs.

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